Above photo: X.
Professor Fired over Palestine, Detained by Chicago FBI On Wednesday, August 28, 2024.
Professor Danny Shaw, a former Madison Square Garden heavyweight championship boxer, was detained and interrogated by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport (ORD).
Professor Shaw was returning from the Free Palestine Film Festival in London. He was invited to the festival because of his being fired by New York City’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice for his vocal opposition to the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza.
For three hours, Chicago-based federal agents grilled Professor Shaw. Agents from the FBI’s Chicago Field Office pressed Shaw about his activities at home and abroad in advocating for an end to the Israeli government’s invasion of Gaza. FBI and DHS officers demanded to know the name of his contacts and of any organizations he has worked with.
Shaw was denied the right to speak with a lawyer. When he refused to answer questions, he was told he would not be released until he complied. Officials seized his cell phone, computer, notebooks, agenda and other belongings as they simultaneously asked hundreds of questions about his work and personal life.
In addition to being fired from his place of employment and now targeted by the FBI and DHS, Shaw has faced a doxing campaign by groups supporting the ongoing invasion of Gaza by the Government of Israel. Shaw and other U.S. educators criticizing the actions of the Israeli state have also come under a concerted wave of censorship, with their social media accounts being shadow-banned, suspended, or removed altogether.
Relevant media reports:
““The New McCarthyism”: Pro-Palestine Educators Face Censorship, Harassment & Firings Across U.S.” https://democracynow.org/2024/5/22/academic_freedom
“Former Bronx boxer fighting CUNY firing he claims was due to stance on Israel-Hamas War” https://bxtimes.com/bronx-boxer-fired-cuny-teaching-job/…
“I’m a professor who got fired and arrested for protesting Israel’s Gaza war” https://aljazeera.com/program/al-jazeera-close-up/2024/5/17/im-a-professor-who-got-fired-and-arrested-for-protesting-israels-gaza-war…
“US professor: I was censored, doxed and fired because of Gaza” https://trtworld.com/opinion/us-professor-i-was-censored-doxed-and-fired-because-of-gaza-17715303…
“New York City universities step up purge of pro-Palestinian faculty” https://wsws.org/en/articles/2024/04/17/bpdx-a17.html…
“College Professors Are Being Fired for Activism on Gaza War” https://theintercept.com/2024/05/16/university-college-professors-israel-palestine-firing/…